17-04 AH rev'd · California Institute of Technology’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is often known as a center of planetary exploration by the United States, but it was originally

Meetings:

General Meeting: Thursday, April 13th; at the Wanda Kirk Library, 3611 Rosamond Blvd., Rosamond, CA, at 5 pm.

Board Meeting: no meeting until Thursday, May 25; at the Sladek Ranch, 5 pm.

April General Meeting: Caltech and the Origin of Rocketry in Southern California

We are pleased to have Erik Conway, a JPL historian, as our guest speaker this Thursday, April 13. As he explains his topic: The California Institute of Technology’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is often known as a center of planetary exploration by the United States, but it was originally founded to develop rocket technology in the late 1930s. Far less well known is the reality that Caltech had a second rocket project operated by its Physics Department during World War II. That effort ultimately spun off what is now the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Center. In this talk, I’ll tell the story of these two rocket projects, and suggest why they’ve taken such very different paths.

Looking Ahead:

May Meeting: Installation of New Officers

Erik Conway is a historian of science and technology residing in Pasadena, CA. He is currently employed by the California Institute of Technology. He studies and documents the history of space exploration, and examines the intersections of space science, Earth science, and technological change. He most recently received the 2009 NASA History award for “pathbreaking contributions to space history ranging from aeronautics to Earth and space sciences,” and the 2009 AIAA History Manuscript Award for his fourth book, “Atmospheric Science at NASA: A History.”

Conway has been, at various junctures in his life, a nuclear field electronics technician in the U.S. Navy, a student of geomechanics, and a naval officer. He served as damage control assistant, and briefly acting chief engineer, of a tank landing ship and as an operations planner for a Pacific Fleet amphibious squadron. He had small roles in planning the US withdrawal from Somalia in 1994 as well as the noncombatant evacuation operation from Rwanda. He’s a devout fan of Stephen J. Gould’s writing on natural history and considers it Gould’s fault that he’s now a historian of science and technology.

He is the author of four other books. His latest work is Exploration and Engineering: JPL and the Quest for Mars, published in 2015.

Cover of Erik M Conway’s latest book.

Antelope Horn Newsletter of the

Kern-Antelope Historical Society, Inc. PO Box 1255 Rosamond, CA 93560

March, 2017

The Kern Antelope Historical Society greatly

appreciates its business members.

We hope you will support them and say thanks when you see them.

Election of Officers: to be held at the general meeting Thursday, April 13th. Nominees: Officers: President - Gretchen Winfrey Directors At-Large: Vice President - Delores Julian George Fisher Secretary - Janet Winters Chavonne Sladek Treasurer - Brenda Yardeen Kathy Smith

Officers will be installed at the May meeting and the terms of office begin June 1.

1. The Coso Rock Art District at Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake; personnel recognize these treasures should be shared with the public and Little Petroglyph Canyon is open to the public for tours.

2. JPL staff: following a number of failures, the first successful Ranger mission to impact the Moon occurred after a JPL staff member had decided to pass out peanuts to relieve tension and the lucky peanut thing became a tradition.

3. The construction and operation of planetary robotic spacecraft like the Curiosity rover, etc.

4. The borax on the lake bed was harvested by Chinese men and the operation was called “The Little Chinese Borax Works’’.

5. At NAWS China Lake, there are over 340 kinds of wildlife on the mostly undeveloped land. 6. Pasadena and today is is officially located in LaCanada Flintridge.

1. Do you know what area contains more than 50,000 documented petroglyphs, the highest concentration of rock art in the Northern Hemisphere?

2. Who eats "good luck peanuts" before critical missions like orbital insertions or landings?

3. What is the JPL’s main purpose? 4. How did China Lake get it’s name? 5. Where can you find feral horses, feral burros, and Big Horn Sheep among other

animals? 6. JPL was started on a rocky flood plain just outside of what city limits?

You’ve probably heard of China Lake and JPL and our speaker will certainly bring a lot of new information to us. But here are some trivia questions that might not be covered. See if you can guess the answers.

The Kern Antelope Historical Society greatly appreciates its business members.

We hope you will support them and say thanks when you see them.

Guys-n-Gals Hair & Spa has Moved

to 2972 Poplar They also have a new name:

Bliss Same phone number: 661-256-2197

The Kern Antelope Historical Society greatly appreciates its business members.

We hope you will support them and say thanks when you see them.

The Kern Antelope Historical Society greatly appreciates its business members.

We hope you will support them and say thanks when you see them.

KERNANTELOPEHISTORICALSOCIETYP.O.BOX1255ROSAMOND,CA93560

The Kern Antelope Historical Society was established in 1959 for the purpose of learning and preserving the

history of California, especially the Antelope Valley, which includes parts of Los Angeles and Kern counBes.SpeakersareinvitedtotalkatourmonthlymeeBngsaboutaspectsofourvariouscultures. Subjectsrangefrom

Indiansof thepast to theSpaceAge. TheSocietyoffersfieldtrips formembers tosignificant locaBons inand

aroundthevalleythroughouttheyear.Comejoinustolearnmoreaboutthewondersofthisareaweliveinandalsomeetsomenewpeople.

ForSalebyKAHS

Books-$10Each:1.HereRoamedtheAntelope2.Bears,BoraxandGold3.AlongtheRailsfromLancastertoMojave4.TheAntelopeLeftandtheSettlersCame5.InLovewithLife–Lancaster6.AntelopeValleyPioneers7.CastleintheSky–Shea’sCastle8.APageintheHistoryofAntelopeValley9.ArthurPickusStory:HisHomeforSeventyFive

Years10.Mojave,ARichHistoryofRails,MinesandFlight11.GoldFever-40YearsDiggingAntelopeValley

History12.AntelopeValleyNewsandViewsDuringPartof

theGreatDepression1925-1935

VideoDVD-$15:AntelopeValleyYesteryears

Maps-$4:HistoricSettlersCircleMap

25%DiscounttoMembers

2016-2017ExecutiveBoard

OfLicers: President:GretchenWinfrey [email protected] VicePresident:DeloresJulian [email protected] Secretary:JanetWinters [email protected] Treasurer:BrendaYardeen [email protected] DirectorsAt-Large: GeorgeFischer ChavonneSladek KathySmith

GeneralMeetings:5:00-7:00pm

SecondThursdayoftheMonthHeldatWandaKirkCountyLibrary

3611RosamondBlvd.Rosamond,CA93560

Memberships:$5-Student&Military;$15-Individual;$20-Husband&Wife;

$30-Family;$35-Businesses